Construction on the new Forsyth County Justice Center in Cummings is currently on track to debut this spring. The design includes a five-story courthouse and adjacent jail, both of which are being built to enhance security as well as be flexible for expansion.

Correctional News interviewed leading architects about the current trends and future challenges of the correctional building industry. Gerald Guerrero, AIA, senior vice president for CGL; Mike Retford, vice president, west regional leader of justice for HOK; and Darrell Stelling, AIA, principal for DLR Group each shared valuable industry knowledge from the design perspective.

Well, we did end 2012 proving the Mayans were not infallible forecasters and that the most ineffective Congress on record could be prodded into action by a threat of two straight days of showing up. We also took timid, but hugely significant steps towards becoming more “European” in our national incarceration rate as we achieved the lowest in three decades.

A lot of change is set to happen in Forsyth County, as plans are moving forward on a major construction project.
In early January, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners were given plans for a new courthouse project and were also briefed on the plans to make it happen, including demolishing the current jail and building two parking garages instead of one.